Review of Jaws (1975) by Miranda M — 29 May 2017

There's only one movie that people credit with making them too scared to swim in the ocean or even the pool in their backyard. Steven Spielberg's "Jaws" took the film industry by storm when it was released in 1975. Its simple yet terrifying theme song, which remains iconic to this day, was ranked 6th on the American Film Institute's 100 Years of Film Scores. Spielberg brilliantly combines this music with underwater traveling shots to create tension as the audience sees the world from the shark's point of view. It's impossible to know when the shark is going to strike, thus striking fear into the audience. Despite major production issues that almost left "Jaws" half eaten and washed up on the shore, "Jaws" became the highest grossing film of its time.

Being loosely based off of a book written by Peter Benchley, Spielberg created a horrifyingly realistic representation of Benchley's made up world in which a small town has a powerful, man-eating shark on its hands. Some may say the effort put into creating a giant, mechanical shark was not worth the final outcome because it didn't give the most convincing performance. However, by not allowing audiences to see the shark until the second half of the film, Spielberg retains some of its flare. The effects used to make it look as though the shark is pulling three barrels underwater or slowly swimming underneath the boat give off the appearance that they are dealing with not only a strong, but a smart beast. Supplemented with real shark footage as well, "Jaws" holds more than enough of a fear factor to keep anyone's feet dry, at least until they watch its sequels.